“Lise…” Matthew began carefully. “If it’s something that you don’t wish to tell me…”Allison shook her head vehemently. “Please, Mattie,” she said imploringly, sounding like she was on the verge of crying once more. “I don’t want to tell this to you. Not… Not yet. It’s not… not important…”She was fumbling with her words. She wasn’t prepared, and she really seemed like she didn’t want him to know about it.He was overly concerned, but if it was something personal, then he didn’t really have the right to prod her about it. He simply came here to ask about their daughter, their baby that she willingly kept from him for years. He wanted to know the truth of the matter, and he got it in the end. He liked to believe that he managed to take the burden and guilt off Allison’s shoulders as well.He was still worried about what she mentioned in her letters, though. He made a mental note to himself to ask her more about it, but he had to approach the issue very gently. He needed to be careful a
That night, Allison couldn’t sleep.After her talk with Matthew earlier, he said that he’d like to get some fresh air tomorrow, so they would be visiting the Miracle Well that he mentioned to her last time. Allison still thought that it was childish to go all the way to some magical well that granted people’s desperate wishes, but she did know that she needed to go outside and feel the sun on her face.Her current condition was delicate, so they had to be careful. Matthew proposed that they come in the early hours of the morning so that there would barely be other people there.Allison agreed. Even though she would still be wearing a hat and a coat with a hood, she was still very self-conscious about her appearance. After all, people were curious creatures.Allison wasn’t very proud of her hair loss, but it was more because she was sick and in a precarious position between life and death instead of superficial reasons like her appearance. She hated being weak and vulnerable in front o
They arrived at the Garden of Livia in fifteen minutes. Allison had gotten so preoccupied with staring out the window that she didn’t realize they had already arrived at their destination.Blushing, she lowered her head as she exited the car, with the chauffeur graciously opening the door for her. “Sorry… I got distracted,” she said sheepishly.Matthew chuckled. “It’s nothing for you to apologize about,” he assured. He then looked around, a satisfied expression on his face. “The air is pretty nice here, right?”Allison stepped forward, fascinated by her surroundings. There was a large, silver gate ahead, indicating the entrance. There was a guard post at the side, presumably to take written logs of the visitors or tourists. Other than that, she felt like she was surrounded by nature itself.Flowers, shrubs, bushes, and trees were everywhere, making it seem like a magical place. The faint sunlight shone on the grass, the sky a bright blue.The two of them entered with a bodyguard follo
Matthew remembered it clearly back then.The time when Allison started to trust him.Years ago, when he first read that story in her notebook, she told him that she had written the story on a whim. When he expressed his interest in the plot, she asked if he would like to read the next part.So, during one of their tutoring sessions, she gingerly handed him the notebook when they took a ten-minute break.“What’s this?” he asked her. “A new study manual?”Allison didn’t say anything, which was a little odd. Nevertheless, Matthew took the notebook and opened it.It was then that he understood.She had written the continuation and wanted him to read it. She also probably wanted to hear his thoughts.So he read it without hesitation.-The sight of the gray cat on the bed where Mark was supposed to be startled Wendy so much that she almost fell off the bed.“What in the world?” she said, her fingers trembling as she picked up the pajamas that Mark had worn just now. There was no way that s
When they returned to the villa, Matthew’s phone rang with an incoming call. Allison left to go to her room, giving him some privacy. Though it was mostly because she didn’t want to hear him talking to Lily.Matthew stared at the screen of his phone, focused especially on the caller ID.It was Bryce.Matthew took a deep breath before accepting the call. “Hello?”“Matt,” Bryce said, his tone hushed. “The Chairman suddenly got an important call from Germany. It seems that the investor that Mr. Chairman has been persuading for a long time has finally considered his request. He hasn’t returned to the country yet and is currently on a plane flying straight to Germany.”Matthew felt the air escape his lungs, his shoulders sagging with relief. Good. His father didn’t know yet.“I’ve been doing my best to fill in for you. Thanks for at least responding to my emails quickly,” Bryce continued on, though his tone was clearly weary. “I know you’ve always been busy, but I never imagined that it wo
“How are you feeling?” Matthew asked while breakfast was being served on the table. Allison said she felt like eating oatmeal today, so that was what she was eating right now.“I’m feeling okay,” she answered. “It was nice to go outside.”“That’s good,” Matthew said, the relief evident in his words. Her body was delicate right now, and her immune system was weak as well. He needed to observe her condition carefully each day so that she would be healthy enough for the next treatment phase. “What about sleep? I forgot to ask if you slept well last night.”“I slept enough.” Allison didn’t bring up the fact that she slept two hours lesser than she was supposed to. She had been too worried thinking about her slip-up as well as the silliness of the Miracle Well’s concept.Not to mention that he knew about Abigail now…Matthew seemed satisfied with that answer and continued to eat. The two of them had breakfast in comfortable silence, with the only sound coming from using their utensils.“By
Of all the things that Matthew had expected this week, it had never been this one.After acquiring the results of the treatment, the doctor brought him and Allison some bad news. It seemed that the therapy didn’t have much of an effect on the remaining cancer cells.So they decided to try a new therapy on her tomorrow, hoping that it would bring positive results.“It’s still very experimental,” the doctor had explained. “We’ll have the result in a few days.”Later that night, Allison asked him to sit with her on the balcony. She looked more tired than usual, possibly because of the therapy that she went through a few days ago.There was no trace of glumness in her expression though, something that Matthew couldn’t help but notice.Then again, he also noticed that before her doctor’s appointment that day, Allison didn’t seem so anxious. Instead, she went forward with determination, as though believing that this was her last step to recovery.“How are you feeling?” Matthew asked as he t
“Is there something on your mind tonight, Lise?” Matthew asked carefully. He didn’t want to jump to any conclusions just yet. “I’m not sure about this, but I feel like there’s something you want to tell me. Is there?”Allison stilled for a second before eventually nodding. “I’ve been thinking a lot, Mattie,” she said slowly. “About what will happen once the treatment goes well. What I’ll do from then on.”“I see…” Matthew said, letting his voice drift off, silently encouraging her to continue.“I know you won’t be there for me anymore, that this is all just a temporary arrangement,” Allison said. “After going through treatment a number of times, my mind became clearer, and I think I’ve become well enough physically and mentally to come to a decision.”Matthew still had no idea where this was leading, but he kept silent, not wanting to interrupt her.“As I said earlier, I want to rekindle my passion for life. I used to immerse myself in working at the lab, right? Though I’m not sure I